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Marketing 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
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If you’re new to marketing, you might have a skewed perception of it. You might imagine a multimillion-dollar Super Bowl ad or a glowing billboard in Times Square.
Marketing is much more than that. It encompasses a variety of channels, tactics, and formats — and can work for any business at any budget.
The key to getting started is knowing the fundamentals. Here, I’ll walk you through some beginner-friendly marketing channels and how to build your first marketing strategy.
Cost-Effective Marketing Channels
Building Your First Marketing Strategy
Cost-Effective Marketing Channels
If you’re just getting started with marketing, here are a few cost-effective channels to consider:
Content marketing
The entire premise of content marketing is to provide valuable content to your audience. This can be blog posts, videos, podcasts, e-books, and more. Unlike a pop-up ad, this type of marketing isn‘t disruptive. It’s supposed to feel natural, organic, and helpful.
Consider this: you want to market your product, a productivity app. On your blog, you publish articles brimming with tips and tricks for staying productive at work. By providing this type of content, you slowly build awareness around your app.
To take it one step further, you include a sign-up form for a free trial of your app at the top of every article — giving readers a chance to convert into customers.
Content marketing is a long-term investment. But with patience and the right strategy, you can drive brand awareness and nurture customer relationships without significant financial strain.
Email marketing
Email marketing is relatively affordable compared to other marketing channels. Many email service providers offer free plans or tiered pricing to appeal to different budgets. For example, HubSpot’s email marketing software is easy to use, secure, and free.
With email marketing, you‘re reaching people who’ve already expressed an interest in your business. This puts you in a great position to build relationships, promote your products, and share offers. You can also set up trigger emails when someone completes an action, such as making a purchase or downloading a content offer.
Looking to bulk up your email list? Check out this helpful guide.
Social media marketing
These days, consumers expect brands to have an online presence — so if you haven’t already, sign up for a business profile on a few social media sites.
Once you’re up and running, you can begin to share content. Experiment with different types of content until you have a better idea of what gets the most traction. Remember that social media is all about connection, so interact with customers, initiate conversations, and leverage user-generated content. These tactics can help you foster relationships and build loyalty around your brand without spending a dime.
However, if you decide to run paid ads, …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
